Tuesday, July 21, 2009

My family has had a tough year. That's the understatement of the year. Just over a year ago my cousin Karen (my parents' god daughter) was diagnosed with colon cancer; right at the same I gave birth to Meera via emergency c-section; 12 weeks later Karen died of colon cancer; 6 weeks after that her brother--my other cousin--took his own life; soon after my sister went through a separation from her long time partner (my niece's father); and then my dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer. It has all been a lot. And for a lot of reasons it has been especially a lot for my parents. But it is what it is. And here we are.

Today my dad is having surgery to remove his prostate. This is the treatment option that he and my mom chose. I am so thankful to him for being willing to do this for all of us --- with this route he is guaranteed to be "cancer free" by the end of the day. We will breathe a deep sigh of relief to know that it is no longer in his body. And then we'll do whatever we need to do to support his full recovery.

Up until now we have been a very healthy bunch, with no major health crises, and my father --in particular-- has always been extremely healthy. He's a rock to many. And nobody is accustomed to seeing him in any way vulnerable. My parents have a million friends and loved ones (literally... that is who they are... if you know them, you know that about them)... and that fact made Braydon feel even more honored when they chose him -- out of everyone -- to be the one person there with them at the hospital today and tonight. He is the right person to play this role for so many reasons.

Today, if you're reading this blog, please send up prayers and hopes and thoughts and positive meditations that my dad gets through this all o.k., that my mom has the strength and fortitude to get through it too, and that Braydon can give them the solace and peace that they need during the moments that they need them.

MorFar is the best. And we need him around for a long, long time. Prayers and good vibes are much appreciated right now as we walk this part of our path. Thanks for reading, ~hbj

Prayers, for sure! Thinking of you too, (my dad diagnosed with Pros.C one year ago.. and sometimes 'daughters' dealing with their 'dads' about a sensitive subject can be tricky. So prayers to all of you today!

Thinking of your whole family today. I could've written the same about my father, our rock, last summer when he was going into brain surgery (and he subsequently bounced back with hardly a notice!!!). It's wonderful to hear what a blessing he is to all of you and I'll be praying for a full recovery.

About Our Blog

The Johnson-McCormick Family Blog is a blog spot for sharing the scoop on our little family's big life! We are Heather, Braydon, Kyle, Owen, and Meera Johnson-McCormick. Kyle and Owen are twins- born May 8, 2004 in Cite Soleil, Port au Prince, Haiti- adopted January 31, 2005. We became a "Party of 5" when Meera Grace was born to us on May 28, 2008. We have a crazy, fun-filled life with 3 bambinos and 2 big careers all under 1 roof - The point of this blog is three-fold: 1) to keep friends and family posted on K, O, and M's goings on's and our life, 2) to create an historical document/journal/scrapbook of this wild ride, 3) to be out there in the blogosphere -- loud and proud -- doing what we can to support other adoptive/inter-racial families and dual-career families in their journeys. Thanks for reading and following along! As Kyle and Owen say, "It's a bumpy bumpy ride!"(in a good way!).